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"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch." - James Beard

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Monday, May 22, 2017

Happy Hour - Homemade Gin Smash

Last year a terrific new pre-made cocktail hit the shelves of the LCBO, Georgian Bay Gin Smash. We tried it at a food & wine show and fell in love with the fruity but not-too-sweet flavour. We weren't the only ones. It was extremely popular in Ontario and very hard to find for a lot of the summer. At one point we came across a full case of 24 at the LCBO and grabbed it to stock up.

But when it wasn't available, and we were craving the flavour, I decided I could make my own Gin Smash. I used Bulldog gin, but it would be even more authentic with Georgian Bay gin.

All you need is gin, club soda, limes, lemons, tangerines and mint.

Muddle the mint and fruit with a shot of gin. Muddling just means to crush the fruit and herbs together to get their juice and essence into the gin. The peels add a lot of flavour as well. If you don't have a muddler, use a wooden spoon.

I made the smash two ways. One was muddled in a cocktail shaker and strained, the other was muddled directly in the glass so all the fruit remained in the cocktail when served. Both were topped with club soda.

I think I liked the strained version slightly better, for ease of sipping, but both were delicious! You can be creative and add different fruits and herbs to make your own smash. I am heading to Georgian Bay for a girls weekend soon, and I'll be bringing both the pre-made Gin Smash, and ingredients to make my own. Cheers!